Battle against blaze on Sofia’s Vitosha mountain continues
Firefighters battling the blaze that started on Sofia’s Vitosha mountain on July 1 said early on July 2 that the fire had been localised.
Teams from the fire brigade in the Bulgarian capital city, along with civil defence, resumed attempts to extinguish the fire. Two military helicopters and volunteers from the off-road vehicle community were helping against the flames in hard-to-reach areas.
Also helping against the fire were forestry workers, police, municipal employees and volunteers from nearby residential areas.
It was expected that on July 2 progress would be made in establishing what caused the fire, but initial reports said that it may have been the result of carelessness by tourists.
More than 50 acres of forest on Vitosha mountain, much of it coniferous, have been hit by the flames.
The Director of Fire Safety and Protection, Chief Commissioner Nikolai Nikolov, said that it appeared that the fire had not spread further overnight. Teams of firefighters and forestry workers were on duty through the night to prevent the blaze spreading, especially to nearby coniferous trees.
He expected that it would be fully extinguished in coming days.
No serious injuries have been reported so far, local media said.
(Photo: Andreas Krappweis)
